One known fact about Nigerian politicians is their love for vehicles, and this has been the case over the years. Long before the Nigerian independence, Nigerian politicians had a fondness for exotic cars, and it shows in the number of cars these politicians drove in the 50s and even after the Nigerian independence in the 60s.
Despite not having several archival sources that accurately documented the lives of these politicians, and some of the luxurious items and valuables they owned, some of the exotic vehicles owned by a few of them are still known to date.
Here are some of the past Nigerian politicians, the vehicles they used to own, and the stories behind them.
- Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Mercedes Benz 230.6
Chief Obafemi Awolowo was a Nigerian politician and lawyer and was vast in politics and education. In 1950 he founded and organized the now-defunct Action Group political party in Western Nigeria to participate in the Western Regional elections of 1951.
The party won a majority, and in 1952 Awolowo as president of the Action Group, emerged as the leader of the party in Western Nigeria.
By 1954 he became the first premier of the Western Region. During his tenure as leader and premier, he held the regional ministerial portfolios of local government, finance, and economic planning. He was also chairman of the Regional Economic Planning Commission.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo was known for using an 8-seater Mercedes Benz 230.6 during the election period, which he travelled across the country with for election campaigns in 1979 and 1983. Awolowo bought the Mercedes-Benz in 1970, making it his official car until 1983. This very vehicle featured prominently in his Presidential campaigns of 1979 and 1983.
- Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe
Nnamdi Azikiwe, PC, usually referred to as “Zik,” was a Nigerian statesman who was Governor-General of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963 and the first President of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966. Considered a driving force behind the nation’s independence, he came to be known as the “father of Nigerian Nationalism.”
The vehicle above belonged to Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, and he was spotted in it during a political campaign in 1959 where his chauffeur drove around him.
- Samuel Ladoke Akintola’s Limousine
Chief Samuel Ládòkè Akíntọ́lá A.K.A “S.L.A.,” was a Nigerian politician, lawyer, aristocrat, and orator who was born in Ogbomosho, in the then Western Region. Rumour has it that Chief Ladoke Akintola is the first Nigerian ever to use a bullet-proofed car, which we can’t verify yet.
During his reign as premier of Western Nigeria, this Fleetwood limousine was the official car of the late Premier of Western Nigeria, Samuel Ladoke Akintola. This can be seen in a private museum where it was parked.
- Murtala Muhammed’s Historical Mercedes-Benz
General Murtala Muhammed (8 November 1938 – 13 February 1976) was a Nigerian political and military leader who was the 4th Head of State of Nigeria in a right-wing military dictatorship from 1975 until his assassination in 1976.
On the 13th of February 1976, Murtala Muhammed set off for work, following his usual route on George Street. Shortly after 8 a.m., his Mercedes Benz car travelled slowly in the infamous Lagos traffic near the Federal Secretariat at Ikoyi in Lagos, and a group of soldiers (members of an abortive coup led by Dimka) emerged from an adjacent petrol station, ambushed the vehicle and assassinated Muhammed.
Murtala Muhammed was killed, aged 37, along with his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Akintunde Akinsehinwa, in his black Mercedes Benz saloon. This happened while the vehicle was en route to his office at Dodan Barracks, Lagos. The only visible sign of protection was a pistol carried by his orderly, making his assassination an easy task. The assassination was part of an attempted coup led by Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka.
The Nigerian Museum later took over the Mercedes Benz. The car is said to attract 2,000 tourists monthly.
Conclusion
These are some of the top Nigerian politicians who paved the way in Nigerian politics and the vehicles they owned back in the day. These vehicles were regarded as the greatest of all then and were highly sought-after by the wealthy and coveted by average Nigerians who couldn’t afford them.
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